When the Lights Go Down
by Jewls13
Summary: Luke, Lorelai, and Christopher....16yrs ago. Why they all did what they did. Short Piece, please read. It's one of my favorates. Also has an important Authors Note


AN. I wrote this a few months ago, and decided to hold off on posting until it came time for the Lorelai Flashback episode. Now that the ep is airing in a few days, and Significant Others being stalled (through no fault of mine) I thought this would be a nice time to post this, and help all those out there that need a Jewls GG fix (not that I have the audacity to think that there are people out there that crave my work, although its a nice thought). This is one of my favorite pieces and one that I am very proud of.  
  
Special thanks to Stew (known the fanfic community as Stew Pid) for helping me out with this piece (and for her constant support and love) and to my mom, who just spent the past hour with me proof reading this and making sure it's perfect (my mom rules!).  
  
I'd like to make an announcement as well. My friend Laura is in the process of creating a site for all Jess centered Fanfic entitled "The Jess Situation". There, you can find all pairings (Rory, Paris, Shane, Bree, other.....) as well as fics about Jess's past and stuff from his POV(because we all know that Jess is more then just the girls he's with). There is also a section for any and all fics dealing with the Luke/Jess relationship, and a section for future fics. The site is still working out a few kinks, but I am putting out a call for people to submit their work to "The Jess Situation". I am very picky about where I choose to post my work, because I am very protective of it and Code of Silence and Significant Others are both going to be posted there. This site is a haven for all those out there who want to write and read about Jess-regardless of rating. If you are interested in posting your work here...let me know. If you wanna check out Laura's work, you can find it at fanfic.net under the name mocha-queen. She's awesome!  
  
Disclaimer-I own nothing but my ideas. But I'd give my left leg to own Jess-not that he would want me with one leg..but that wouldn't matter because I'd already own him and he'd do what I want. so there! But do I really want to own a Jess that doesn't want me....hmm, I have to think about this..excuse me.....  
  
The song is "When the Lights Go Down" by Faith Hill off of her newest album "Cry" (which I must say, although I'm not a fan of country music, it's really good)  
  
About this piece..while it is a given that Lorelai got pregnant at 16, it has thus far not been said when she gave birth, or how old she was when she left home. In my mind, Lorelai had lived at home with Rory for a little while before she left-thus far, I haven't found any evidence to prove the contrary(although Tuesday's episode might provide me with that very information). Also, it was never stated how old Christopher was, so I am assuming he is the same age as Lorelai. And Luke..once again, the ages were never specified, so I'm just inferring. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong, but regardless....  
  
enjoy  
  
and please, review.  
  
  
  
When the Lights Go Down  
  
  
  
A 20-year-old Luke goes around the tables of his diner, clearing up the plates and cups, the salt and pepper shakers, and the other cutlery. Once the tables are bare, he wipes them down and puts the chairs on top of them. While the dishes soak in the disinfectant, he takes down the "Grand Opening" banners and decorations and stuffs them in garbage bags, making a secret promise to himself never to decorate the diner again. In the emptiness and stillness he can still hear the customers complaining about the eggs not being quite over-easy or about the way the new place looked. He can hear the condescending, pitying murmurs of the gossiping women. Still, he shakes it off, sweeps the dust off the floor and the voices with them and throws it all into the garbage. He ties up the garbage bags and takes them outside. As he is about to come back into the diner, he stops and looks up at the "William's Hardware" sign.  
  
He had forgotten to take it down.  
  
  
  
//When the lights go down,  
  
He'll be fillin' a pan with a broom in his hand,  
  
In some dive across town.  
  
He'll be wipin' the bar and moppin' the floor.  
  
Countin' his tips and lockin' the doors.  
  
Wreslin' the devil that tells him pour  
  
Another round.  
  
When the lights go down... //  
  
  
  
An 18-year-old Lorelai lies on her bed in her room sifting through her records, playing softly the sounds of percussion and electric guitar of 80s rhythms. Still she can't drown the sound of the classical music from the party Richard and Emily are hosting downstairs.  
  
She wasn't invited.  
  
Something in her wants to crank the volume up all the way and let those rich society stiffs know she's there, but she's sobered by a knock on the door from the maid who is returning Rory from the party. She comes in carrying the baby's tired body in her arms. Lorelai walks over, relieves her, and settles her daughter down on her bed amongst her stuffed animals. She smiles at Rory, who looks like Little Bo Peep with her flock in that big, pink poofy dress Emily picked out for her. Her feet are confined in little white shoes decorated with sequins and lace. Lorelai takes the shoes off gently and Rory immediately wiggles her toes in relief.  
  
"Come on, party girl. Let's get you in your jammies now."  
  
As Rory struggles to keep herself awake, Lorelai walks to the dresser to pick out her pajamas. She looks at wall at the pictures of herself in those big, poofy dresses and looks back at Rory who yawns and rubs her eyes. She begins to empty the dresser, pulls out a duffel bag, and starts packing.  
  
  
  
//She'll be callin' her friends from her Mercedes Benz,  
  
But it's too late now.  
  
They were there for the fame, the flash and the thrill.  
  
The drop of the name the parties and pills  
  
As another star falls from the Hollywood Hills,  
  
Without a sound.. //  
  
  
  
Lorelai stands outside her house with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, carrying a sleeping Rory in her arms. She hears the last strains of Schubert's string quartet and knows the party is winding down. She taps her foot impatiently waiting for the cab. Its lights become visible and she can hear the sound of the vehicle closing in on the distance. As the cab pulls up in front of her, she opens the door and throws in the duffel bag. She looks up at the house she had grown up in, then looks to her sleeping daughter in her arms. Lorelai holds Rory close as she ducks down into the car.  
  
  
  
// When the lights go down.  
  
And there's nothing left to be.  
  
When the lights go down,  
  
And the truth is all you see.  
  
When you feel that hole inside your soul  
  
And wonder what you're made of.  
  
Well, we all find out,  
  
When the lights go down. //  
  
An 18-year-old Christopher comes home from another disappointing job interview. He undoes his tie and throws his blazer on the chair. Sitting down on the bed, he takes of his shoes and wiggles his toes in relief. He wonders if he's really cut out for all of this. He drapes the clothes on a hanger and walks to the closet. After slipping on a pair of jeans he looks for his old leather biker jacket. It's stuffed in the back behind blazers and dress shirts. He pulls it out and throws it on. The fit is good, natural. He takes his keys and walks out the door.  
  
Outside, he climbs on his bike. Feeling something sticking into his side. He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out his keys. Amongst the key rings is a different type of ring, the engagement ring her had offered her, the ring she refused.  
  
  
  
//When the lights go down,  
  
At the end of the day, when this game that I play,  
  
Has gone another round.  
  
As I lay there alone in this big empty bed,  
  
Nothing but thoughts of you in my head.  
  
I think of the things that I wish I had said,  
  
When you were still around.. //  
  
  
  
Luke stands there, the cold wind biting him, looking up at his father's sign. He can almost see his father perched on a ladder putting it up for the first time, over twenty years ago.  
  
As the cab pulls away, Lorelai steals one last look at the house where her parents live, the house where she had made her mistakes, the house that now holds her past.  
  
In the cool California air, Chris sits on his bike starring at the ring, the way it shines in the moonlight, the way it doesn't shine as brightly as it did, once.  
  
  
  
//When the lights go down,  
  
Yeah, there's nothing left to be.  
  
When the lights go down,  
  
And the truth is all you see.  
  
And I wonder if, all my life's about  
  
Is the sum of all my fears  
  
And all my doubts,  
  
Yeah, when all the lights go down.  
  
Oh, oh. //  
  
  
  
These three people with three different histories, traveling three different paths in three different places. As they look up in the sky, one thought consumes them all  
  
"I'm doing this for you. It's scary and I'm terrified but I'm going to do this because I love you. It won't be easy, but I'm doing this so that one day I'll be worthy of being your....  
  
[son]....  
  
[mother]....  
  
[husband]....  
  
I promise you this."  
  
  
  
//When the lights go down,  
  
Oh, and there's nothing left to be.  
  
When the lights go down,  
  
Yeah, and the truth is all you see.  
  
When you feel that hole inside your soul  
  
And wonder what you're made of,  
  
Well, we all find out  
  
When the lights go down,  
  
Ooh, when the lights go down.// 


End file.
